David and Samantha Cameron had an intimate dinner with Angela Merkel and her husband last night after a rare invitation into the inner circle of Germany’s first couple.

The get-together was intended to convey Germany’s strong desire to keep Britain in the European Union and cement an alliance of powerful conservative voices in Europe.

In a Downing Street first, the Camerons were asked to bring their three children on an overseas diplomatic visit. Chancellor Merkel is thought to have wanted to stress the personal bond that she wants to build with a man she at first wrote off as too